Death March — Fixed

“Tek here, while a lot of Eastern people are fine with eating whale, even they usually hesitate when it comes to dolphins. Even if they come from another culture and eat things like crickets and bats--even the dog-like dolphins are too much.”

 

“Ya’ guys! Captain Arisa is departing, yarr~”

“Yessire~?”

“Aye Aye~”

“Nn.”

 

Arisa and the others are playing at being pirates, at the bow of the ship. Arisa made pirate clothing for everyone. She is wearing a captain-like hat and coat with a long hem, with a shirt and trousers below--she has a rapier at her waist.

 

Pochi and Tama are wearing pirate underling-like clothes: shirts with stripes and trousers which ended part way down their shins with frayed edges. They both have eye patches which I made yesterday--making normal eye patches wouldn’t be interesting, so I made them in the shapes of a chibi cat and dog.

 

Mia is wearing a sailor uniform, but with a short white skirt instead of pants. It seemed quite indecent--especially when she somehow convinced Arisa to make the shirt tight, so her chest caused the buttons to strain.

 

“Master, the tea is ready.”

 

“Thank you Lulu.”

 

I get down from the area with the steering wheel, sitting down at a table on the deck.

 

When Lulu told Arisa that it was time for snacks, they stopped their playing Pirates and rushed here.

 

“Huh? The sunlight is surprisingly gentle here.” Arisa looked around in confusion.

 

“Yeah, I put up Sunlight Protection, that can cut down the UV radiation from the sunlight--I didn’t want Lulu and the others to get sunburns.”

 

It’s one of the Scrolls I ordered from the Scroll Workshop, Natalina was a little confused, because she didn’t understand the theory of UV Radiation or cancer or things like that--but she made it anyway, since I payed. It was Intermediate-Grade Light Magic.

 

I also used Air Control, so that the deck was calm, while the sail flapped and snapped above us. When I didn’t use it, Lulu’s and Nana’s skirts got rolled up by the wind. Particularly for Lulu, since she was wearing a one piece, and up to her naval was revealed. She, strangely, found it embarrassing--Nana, on the other hand, found it amusing watching the fluttering skirt.

 

Our ship is currently sailing through the bay, where there are hardly any Monsters.

 

“Dolphin! A dolphin just jumped now!” Arisa found the dolphin that’s swimming alongside the ship. She quickly rushes over to the desk behind me.

 

Arisa isn’t the only ones, because Pochi, Tama, Lulu, and Nana follow along.

 

What about Liza?

 

When I look for her, I see that she’s just taken a harpoon attached to a rope from the storehouse below--apparently, for Liza, the dolphin is just prey to fish up.

 

“It’s somersaulting!”

“Prey?”

 

“What are you saying? It’s unthinkable to eat dolphins! It’s something to adore, you know?” Arisa puts on an overly shocked face.

 

Well, they’re certainly cute.

 

I should that Nana would react the most, but she didn’t seem interested. Lulu was saying, “That’s a really big fish”, but her expression was that of someone looking at food ingredients.

 

“However, it looks delicious.”

 

Liza is trying to hide the harpoon behind her, but she can’t.

 

I discuss with them that Dolphins are one of the aquatic creatures that we don’t eat, along with turtles, and jelly fish--unless in an emergency. They nodded to my words.

 

The dolphin seemed to notice the attention, and quickly swam away.

 

***

As the ship safely leaves the bay and into the open sea, the snack time has finished.

 

“Uwah, it’s shaking.”

“It’s shaking more than the airship.”

“Nn.”

 

Arisa, Lulu, and Mia seem uncomfortable with the ship shaking. It shouldn’t feel like it’s shaking so much, because this a ship is quite large.

 

“It’s alright, it’s just water below us. You can just swim if you fall.” Liza remonstrated them calmly--it’s quite different from when she’s riding the airship.

 

“Nn, I can swim.”

 

“Impossible, I can only swim around 10 meters by dog-paddling.”

“I’ve never swum before, since I was raised in the mountains. Oh my? Arisa, you shouldn’t have swum before too, right?”

 

I see, so Arisa and Lulu can’t swim. I’ll teach them when we next stop by the shore, I guess that they will need swimsuits before that, huh.

 

“Nyahahaha”

“Tama, it’s shaking too much, it’s terrible! Master, I’m falling.”

 

I can hear the excited voices of Tama and Pochi, who have climbed on the crows nest, on top of the main master--they climbed up before we left the bay. Pochi’s voice sounds a bit like a scream, but since it also sounds like she’s having fun, it’s probably alright. If she really does fall, I’ll catch her with Magic Hand, so it’s fine.

 

I’m enjoying everyone’s reactions, but then a Monster appears on the radar.

 

Since it’ll be troublesome to meet enemies like this, let’s make the ship levitate. Touching the board in the center of the steering wheel, I pour Magic Power into it and activate the Aerodynamic Engine.

 

The ship leaves the surface of the sea, continuing to rise until even the tops of the waves don’t touch the bottom of the hull.

 

“Oh my? The shaking stops? Geh?!” Arisa peers over the railing, and looks down, she becomes speechless.

 

Hmm? Didn’t I say that this sailing ship could fly?

 

Everyone other than Arisa is calm, and have no questions about the flying ship. We were flying in an airship when we went to Bornean Forest, after all. If one doesn’t understand the theory, or haven’t ever sailed before, they probably think that a sailing ship can just fly like an airship.

 

“Don’t tell me, this ship is also an airship?”

“That’s right. Though it doesn’t have enough power to fly very high.”

 

At the most, it can only fly 100 meters above the ground. It also doesn’t have propellers, so it can only go the direction the wind blows--which doesn’t matter, since I can control that.

 

After confirming that the shaking has stopped, Pochi smoothly descends, using the rope hanging off the main mast. It seems that Tama has found something, she also rapidly descended after Pochi.

 

“A big shadow is coming closer.”

“Shadow?”

 

The thing that Tama has found, is the Long-Neck Dragon that’s chasing the ship. Well, it may have ‘Dragon’ in its name, but it’s not a true Dragon, but a Monster.

 

***

A head, followed by a long neck, breaks through the surface.

 

“Waaah, it’s Nessie! It’s a real Nessie, isn’t it?!” Arisa shouts out in excitement.

 

“You grilled eel! I recommend that you prostrate yourself before my stomach!” Nana yells out a strange Provocation.

 

“Roar!” The Long-Neck roared at Nana.

 

“Shoot!”

 

At my words, Lulu, Pochi, and Tama pulled the triggers of the Magic Guns that I had given to them. The target is really huge, so Lulu hit on her first try.

 

“--***, Water Hold.” Mia’s spell forms a rope of water, which lashes out and begins to coil around and bind the Long-Neck Dragon. The rope can’t completely restrain it, probably because of the Monster’s high level.

 

“--*****, Rip!” Arisa fires a Space Magic ‘blade’, making a deep wound on the Long-Neck’s trunk.

 

Despite the wound, the giant clawed forelimb approaches the big shield that Nana has set up. Ignoring the incoming attack, she shoots Nature Magic Arrows that pieces through both eyes of the Long-Neck’s eyes.

 

The Long-Neck, even with its vision robbed, still keeps charging at Nana, who quickly evades it.

 

I’d hate it if the ship breaks from the attack, I quickly use Flexible Shield to protect the deck.

 

Liza, who has amassed Magic Power into her spear, drives it through the Long-Necked Dragon, who’s movements have stopped, after being hindered by my Flexible Shield.

 

Right then, Pochi and Tama assist with their Magic Guns from the deck.

 

Arisa pierces the Long-Neck Dragon, which has stopped moving, with Dimension Cutter. Mia uses Water Burst on the wound, making it explode. Liza and Nana attack the tear, with Magic Edge and Sharp Edge respectfully--and the Monster is finally defeated.

 

Since the Long-Neck Dragon is about as big as the ship, I dismantle it using a combination of Magic Hand and Flexible Sword from a distance.

 

Lulu cooks some of the meat for lunch, and it tastes really good. Unlike the frog, and Horned Snake, it tastes closer to pork than chicken.